This is drone cell. Correct? Is it usual to have this much drone entering into the summer months?
I'm not seeing what you are. I can't tell for sure but it looks like mostly worker brood to me. Maybe some on far right. But with your foundationless frames I would expect to see a noticeable difference in size of the drone comb.
I agree with cao, looks like all worker brood to me. The drone cells are obviously larger and rounded on the top. Capped drone brood appears very raised. Here?s an example picture.
Its hard to tell with the picture but it looks like a mix of drone and worker to me, at least when the picture is magnified. The caps are higher than the surrounding empty brood with that bullet shape head. And some caps are higher than what looks to be worker brood, again with that taller bullet shape. But again, hard to tell, need 3-D :grin:
Since you have what looks to be both, and if it is both, I would not worry about it. The bees know what they need.
Phillip
As long as you have a lot of capped worker brood, I would not worry about how much drone brood they have. One thing you do watch for is drone brood in worker cells. This is an indication of a drone laying queen or laying worker. Could also bee a new queen.
Jim Altmiller
Thanks. Still trying to figure everything out.
I never cull drone comb. I do move it to the outside.
Michael, why? I assume you mean to move a predominately drone filled frame a few spaces so it becomes the outside brood frame, and the worker brood frames are in the middle. What does that do? Although, since what I am seeing is worker brood, and the hive is healthy and strong, I will be staying out of the hive for a while, and leaving the bees alone.
If the bees don?t want drones they backfill the comb. If this comb of honey is in the middle of the box it sometimes blocks the queen from using the entire box.
Ah. I see. Thanks.